Terrebonne officials prepare for hurricane season

NAOMI KING Staff Writer

Thursday

May 22, 2008 at 3:00 PMMay 22, 2008 at 6:54 PM

HOUMA -- Officials gathered in Houma Wednesday to detail Terrebonne Parishís evacuation and shelter plans for the hurricane season that starts in 10 days. The primary message: "When your local officials say itís time to get out, itís time to get out."

HOUMA -- Officials gathered in Houma Wednesday to detail Terrebonne Parishís evacuation and shelter plans for the hurricane season that starts in 10 days.

Every year, hundreds of employees -- those who run parish government or offer public services -- meet to review emergency plans prior to the start of hurricane season.

The 2008 hurricane season starts June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

While Terrebonneís written plan is basically the same as last yearís, Jerry Richard, the parishís new emergency preparedness director, said the key to executing an emergency plan is flexibility because hurricanes can be unpredictable. Emergency officials may not have a clear idea of whatís coming "until the storm is upon us," he said.

Richard said heís still working out two parts of the plan -- specifically where animals will be sheltered during tropical storms and Category 1 and 2 hurricanes and how people without transportation will be ensured a ride to safety. These holes will be filled before the season begins, he said.

After the 2005 hurricanes, the state mandated changes in the evacuation of coastal parishes.

In Terrebonne, an evacuation will be ordered in areas south of the Houma Intracoastal Waterway 50 hours before a stormís predicted landfall, Richard said. Those who live north of the Intracoastal Waterway will have to evacuate at least 40 hours prior to landfall.

Sandbags will be placed at roughly 20 locations throughout the parish 60 to 72 hours before landfall.

Pam Roussel, the stateís emergency coordinator for a six-parish region that includes Terrebonne and Lafourche, said the objective is to get people out of low-lying areas before contraflow is enacted on state highways. Contraflow, used during emergencies to speed evacuation, alters the normal flow of traffic so that all lanes head in one direction, in this case away from the coast.

"When your local officials say itís time to get out, itís time to get out," Roussel said.

The Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center will be the last shelter to open and only if itís needed.

For stronger storms -- a Category 3, 4 or 5 -- no shelters will be opened because it is too dangerous, Richard said. Hotels will also have to close if a mandatory evacuation is ordered.

The Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center will be the central meeting point for people who need to be bused out of the parish.

Contracts with the Terrebonne School Board and private buses will go into effect. The buses will take locals from the Civic Center to shelters elsewhere, either in Louisiana or in another state.

Last year, a coalition of government agencies and nonprofits conducted a survey, primarily through local churches, to assess the need for transportation.

The coalition, Bayou Area Readiness and Recovery, passed out 20,000 surveys but did not get a huge response, said BARR member and Volunteer Coordinator Rene Rhodes. Officials should know how many buses will be needed to take people from their homes to the staging area at the Civic Center, he said.

In the absence of those completed forms, officials have tried to estimate the need based on prior experience and federal counts. For example, during Hurricane Rita, about 2,600 people were sheltered, mostly overnight, in local shelters, Rhodes said. And FEMA has estimated between 5,000 and 6,000 people will require transportation.

Peg Case, BARR member and TRAC director, said sheíd like to set up a registration and database system like one already established in New Orleans.

In response to her suggestion, Richard said he wants to establish a registration system coupled with the current call-in system. Anyone in need of transportation during a mandatory evacuation should call the Office of Emergency Preparedness at 873-6357.

For residents with special medical needs, in-state shelters and transportation will be available, medical officials said. To see if you qualify, contact the Office of Public Health in Thibodaux at 447-0916 when a storm starts to form in the Gulf of Mexico. A staff member will determine what type of shelter you need and work with local emergency officials to get you there.

Those who qualify should also know that they have to have a caregiver with them, said Kayla Guerrero, state public-health emergency-response coordinator.

As for returning to the parish after a storm has passed, Richard said residents should get updates on road conditions and whether itís safe to re-enter by calling parish governmentís hotline, which will be manned by parish employees in Alexandria. That number is 800-35-HOUMA or 800-354-6862.

"We donít want our people to enter a war zone," Richard said. "We want to make sure itís safe."

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